Fitness Exercise Machines – Tips on Buying an Exercise Bike
If you are looking for a fitness exercise machines you might want to consider an exercise bike. As well as giving you a good all-round aerobic exercise they are compact, reasonably priced and easy to set up. However, don’t just rush off to the shops and buy one, do some research first to decide which exercise bike will be best for you.
What is Your Budget?
Obviously this is always the most important concern but you shouldn’t go for the cheapest exercise bike you can find as it may not be long lasting, be comfortable or even give you a good workout. An entry-level bike at a minimum will cost you on the order of $200, and even though this will be adequate it may not have any of the features that can be found on higher quality work out bikes. For a small amount more, between $350 and $650 you’ll get a better quality exercise bike with some features such as magnetic resistance, heart rate control, a comfortable seat and generally quiet and efficient operation.
For around $600 you will be able to purchase a first-rate exercise bike with all the features you may require. For this price you ought to expect a lot of built-in exercise programs, easy to use display console, and resistance control, handlebars that are effortless to adjust and a very good warranty.
Exercise Bike Comfort
Evidently your exercise bike should be comfortable as you will be spending quite a lot of time on it! You will need a well padded seat and handlebars that adjust effortlessly. Are you going to obtain an upright or recumbent exercise bike? A lot of people find that recumbent exercise bikes are more comfy to use than upright exercise bikes as you sit in a more reclined position which puts a reduced amount of pressure on your back. Upright exercise bikes, even though they are not nearly as comfortable, do have the benefit that you can easily boost the intensity of the workout by pedalling standing up just like you would on a regular bicycle.
Adjusting the Resistance
Resistance on exercise bikes is variable in two ways. A good number of the cheaper models use tension and a belt, more costly models use magnetic resistance which is quieter and more consistent. Adjusting magnetic resistance is easy and usually done with a pushbutton or knob.
Monitoring Your Heart Rate
It is really crucial to be able to observe your heart rate while training as increasing your heart rate is why you are exercising. Always purchase an exercise bike with a built-in pulse rate monitor so that you can adjust your training correspondingly. Almost all the exercise bikes do have this while cheaper bikes will frequently merely have a pulse rate monitor built into the handlebars. The more expensive exercise bikes will have workouts that are controlled by your pulse rate so they adjust themselves to keep your pulse rate at a level that you fix. This is a very good feature but not essential if you can’t pay for it.
Integrated Workout Programs
Several of the less expensive exercise bikes won’t have exercise integral programs. While you may think this is not too much of a drawback you will find that simply sitting on the bike and pedalling will turn out to be boring very swiftly! With workout programs you can modify your exercising and the feedback you get will assist with your enthusiasm. Display consoles that give you feedback on calories burned, distance covered and tour heart rate etc. really do improve out your enthusiasm and keep you exercising longer. Nearly all of the exercise bikes in the middle range i.e. between approximately $300 and $600 will give you a realistic variety of included workouts and a moderately good display. More high-priced exercise bikes i.e. in the $650 and above range will have a large number of workouts and excellent LED displays with a complete range of feedback information.
Conclusion
Needless to say, with exercise bikes, as with other fitness exercise machines, you get what you pay for. It isn’t really a good idea to purchase the lowest cost exercise bike you can find as it won’t last very long and you won’t be happy with the workout that it gives you. It is not obligatory to buy a very expensive bike but we suggest obtaining one for around $300 which will give you satisfactory exercise and keep you motivated.
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